ANTRIM.—Church Accommodation

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 14, 2 April 1903, Page 9

ANTRIM. — Church Accommodation

The Catholic inmates of the Belfast Workhouse want some place in which to attend Divine Worship, and their request is supported by the Bishop of Down and Connor, who has been urging their claims for the past three years. But the Belfast Board of Guardians indignantly refuses to provide the accommodation. Their attitude savors so strongly of intolerance (says the 'Freeman's Journal') that the Protestant Bishop of Cashel, who has a keen scent in these matters, might well devote to the topic a sermon like that he delivered in the North of Ireland when criticising the 'intolerance' of the Catholics of the South of Let us see how the tolerant members of the Belfast Board of Guardians acted when this question was brought before them. It was submitted to them by the Local Government Board as a matter calling for their urgent attention. After waiting for three years for simple justice to be done to the Catholic inmates of the workhouse the Most Rev. Dr. Henry, Bishop of Down and Connor, had finally to ask the Local Government Board to exercise its supreme authority by compelling the Belfast Guardians to provide suitable accommodation for the due celebration of Divine Worship for the unfortunate Catholics in the house. The Local Government Board, with delicate sympathy for the feelings of the Guardians, hesitated about taking this step, but in the letter which was read at the meeting recently the Board gently pointed out how the Guardians had under the Act ample powers to provide ' a Chapel' on 'suitable apartment' for the religious worship of 'any denomination of Christians,' and the Board went on to say how reluctant it was to exercise its supreme power, and how much better it would be if some agreement could be arrived at between the Guardians and those concerned. Here is how Ulster tolerance met these tenderly conveyed suggestions : By 24 votes to 3 — the three representing the Catholic members present, of course— it was decided that the present accomodation, whatever that is, was satisfactory, and that the Belfast Guardians would resent any attempt of the Local Government Board to supersede their authority. Can it be that these gentlemen do not believe the Catholic inmates come within the description 'any denomination of Christians' ?